Ink and Noise
by Jacari
Summary: Four girls from different backgrounds come together to take the music world by storm. RWBY Rock AU
1. Prologue 1

To call Beacon Records competitive would be an understatement at best.

Their success had crept up on the world, as they had spent fifteen years being nameless. Seven years ago the company was taken over by the enigmatic Ozpin, and four years after that their star band CRME was taking headlines across every continent. After that they were flooded with hopefuls, of which they would only take very small number. Beacon always had ten, whether bands or individual performers. Every year their would be at least one that left or was dropped, and at the beginning of every year their building would see a constant stream of applicants as they interviewed as many as they possibly could.

Ruby and Yang had been one of the first groups in the door, and it was a full month of waiting before they heard anything. Hopeful as they may have been, the interviewer saying you did well didn't mean so much when you were one of hundreds. As the cut off date drew closer, every day they could only try to ignore that they hadn't gotten an acceptance letter yet.

That is, until they received a phone call.

Ozpin wanted to meet them in person, and for them to bring their instruments. Well, for Ruby to bring her guitar- Yang was strong but no way was she lugging around an entire drum kit. They weren't told why, but the blonde seemed convinced it was because they were just that awesome. Ruby, on the other hand, was so nervous her hands were shaking. They weren't even in the meeting yet, just sitting in the waiting room. The blonde put her arm around her sisters shoulders, whispering reassurances.

Five minutes later they were brought in to Ozpin's office.

It was a large room, and rather empty. The only real things of note were the large desk and a globe in the corner. Two chairs had been pulled up, and the sisters sat down quickly, Ruby gently placing her guitar case next to her seat. Ozpin was facing away from them, staring out the large window that made up the back wall of his office. The man spun his chair around to look at them, and waited a moment before speaking.

"I'm afraid we'll have to make this brief. I want you both under my label."

Yang pumped her arm in victory, exclaiming " _Yes_!"

"But," Ozpin continued, "We've run into a conundrum. There is only one spot left, and we have two other independents that I simply don't want to lose."

Faces fell, and the pair met eyes for a second before returning to the man sitting across from them. Ozpin leaned forward, planting his elbows on the desk and hands under his chin. "So," He started, "How would you feel about becoming a four person band?"

The blonde blinked twice before letting out a confused "Wha?"

"We'll do it." Ruby started, not hesitating for a moment.

A small smile appeared on Ozpin's face. "Ms. Xiao-Long, do you agree?"

Yang looked at her sister, then back at the man in front of her. Her face crumpled a bit as she debated internally, but in moments she was grinning.

"Sure. Why not?"

Ozpin smiled, "Good, because they are already here." Standing up, he starting walking out of the room. He turned back to them just as he got through the door, "I suggest you follow me."

The sisters shared a glance, then rushed out of their seats. Ruby's was almost knocked over in the process of grabbing her guitar, but they caught up to the grey haired man without incident. He was moving quickly, long legs taking long strides as the passed through the building. Ozpin took them past the elevator, instead heading up the stairs. They continued up, and up, and up, and up...

Ten flights of walking up stairs later, Ruby wondered if that counted as a workout.

Beacon's floor plan made it seem far more like an apartment building than anything else. The offices only took up the first floor, the other ten were all dorms for their artists. Stairs opened into a small hallway, leaving space between the rooms door and the ways up. Ozpin pulled them to the side a bit, adjusting his glasses.

"Your new band mates are already inside. While they have agreed to join as a group, they both came here individually, so do keep in mind that they may not be so eager at first."

"No worries!" Ruby said. "I bet we'll be best buds by next week."

The man laughed softly, then moved to the door. It sat on the right side of the hall, a small plate on the front had space for a label but was blank. He opened it and bought them into a decently large living space, the wall to their right had a sliding glass door leading to a balcony. A kitchenette to their left, and a pair of couches facing a flat-screen on the far end. All in all, much nicer than the dingy place the sisters had been living in.

The best part had to be the two gorgeous girls who had been waiting for them.

Amber eyes were drawn to them as they entered, attached to a tall, dark haired girl. She was dressed casually, black jeans and a dark blue dress shirt. Rolled up sleeves showed off a tattoo of belladonna on her right forearm, blooming towards her hand. Twin cat ears sat atop her head, nestled in in dark locks. She was leaning against the kitchen counter with a black guitar case, and lifted a hand in greeting.

Yang waved back, but found herself a bit distracted by the other occupant. A white haired girl in a pretty skirt stood at the far left side, using her phone. Between the high heels and the skirt, the girls legs were framed perfectly, and Yang couldn't help but feel like this was going to be a much better arrangement than it sounded like.

But alas, her eyes were torn away when her sister suddenly said "Ohmygodyou'reamazing!"

In fact, Ruby had managed to draw the attention of everyone else in the room, but didn't seem to notice. She grabbed Yang by the arms and practically shouted "Do you know who that is?!"

Lilac eyes just blinked at her. "Uh...no?"

Ruby gave out a shocked gasp, then leaned in close. " _That's Blake Belladonna_." She whispered, as if the girl in question who was standing five feet away wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Still not following, Rubes."

Her younger sister just looked disappointed. "She played bass for the Fang! Y'know, the only reason I listened to them?"

Blake cleared her throat, and Ruby froze. Blushing, she turned to the dark haired girl she was just gushing over. "N-not that you guys were bad or anything! I mean, your later albums were a bit much for me, and your guitarist was kinda amateurish...but _you_ were great!"

The faunas laughed a bit. "Yes, well, I left them for...a few reasons. Anything I should recognize you from?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head a bit. "Probably not. Unless you frequent the shady bars we keep ending up playing at." She punctuated that by shooting her sister a glare.

"Wha-? Those were good gigs!"

Silver eyes rolled, and Yang conceded "Well...maybe not all of them.".

The white haired girl took that moment to walk up, her heels announcing every step. "If introductions have started, I'd like to get them over with. I'm Weiss Schnee, singer. I assume you two are our guitar and drums?"

Yang threw an arm over her sister. "Yep! I'm Yang Xiao-Long and little red is my sis, Ruby Rose."

"...Right. Charmed."

Ozpin interrupted them, and they couldn't help but notice he looked quite amused. "With that out of the way, I believe it is time to properly introduce yourselves. The unmarked building next door is our recording studio, and you have it for an hour. Shall we?"

Ruby grinned and threw her arms up. "We're gonna rock!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The recording studio was actually four studios, split between two floors. They were each soundproof, and the structure was designed to handle noise and vibrations. There was a woman waiting outside of the second room for the group, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Ozpin, I expected you ten minutes ago."

The man just shrugged his shoulders, a smile on his face. "Allow me to introduce Ms. Goodwitch, who will be your agent. She is one of our best, and will be providing any advisement or assistance you need. Also, she will be giving you your contracts as you leave. Ms. Goodwitch, they're in your care now."

The woman nodded, and Ozpin left the way they came. Her gaze turned to the four of them, and she held it just long enough to make them squirm a bit. "Congratulations." She said. "You are now a part of the most... _unique_ record label in the world. The studio has already been prepped, please enter and get ready."

It was all the welcome Ruby needed, rushing in through the open door. She went over to an amp to her left that faced the door, and plopped down on the ground to unpack her guitar. The other three entered in a much more normal fashion, walking over to their respective positions without a word. Yang sat at the drum set that had been set up, letting out a low whistle in appreciation.

With her sweetheart plugged in, Ruby gave a testing strum. Crescent Rose rumbled through the studio, and she felt it run through her body."Oh, yeah." She said. "Best. Day. _Ever_."


	2. Prologue 2

" _Must_ you?" Weiss asked, voice scolding.

"Sorry!"

"Hmph. Deafen me and I'll kill you."

"It wasn't _that_ loud, princess."

"You really are as childish as you look, aren't you?"

" _I_ look childish? 'Least I'm not _flat_."

"You little-"

" _Ahem_." Glynda interrupted. "It seems you are both children, seeing as you haven't even known each other for a full half hour and you are already arguing."

The two girls backed down, blushing. Stands with music sheets were set up, and they quickly got to adjusting them so as to keep themselves occupied. Glynda simply rubbed her temples for a moment, a futile attempt to clear her headache.

"We're already late." She said. "Let's stop wasting time." With a wave, she gestured for them to start.

The noise that followed was awful.

It was supposed to be a sort of jazzy, relaxed piece. Of course, take four people who aren't at all suited to jazz, and you get a mess. Yang was going too fast, Ruby was too loud, Weiss kept drawing out her notes- symptoms of their backgrounds. Blake was doing fine, but she was the only one that had played in a group like this before. Not that Glynda expected much different, the recordings of their auditions made it clear what they excelled at, and it was not this.

The song was short, and they played it faster than they were supposed to. An awkward silence grew in its place, the girls were clearly unhappy with how it went. Ruby looked embarrassed, Weiss ashamed, and the other two seemed resigned but uncomfortable. Understandable, musicians with years of experience could never feel good about messing up, especially not when making first impressions.

"Well?" Glynda asked. "Are you going to mope or are you going to play it again?"

"Uh, Ms. G?"

"Yes, Ms. Xiao-Long?"

"We were awful."

A sigh. "I am well aware. You will have to learn to work together under pressure, so I have specifically chosen a song you will struggle with. Now, play it again."

Blake adjusted her volume slightly, and Ruby followed. When they were ready, Yang started. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, keeping her pace slow. A few moments, and they started to find their rhythm. Tension began to ease away, and it sounded nice. Calm flowed through the room, Weiss' voice carrying words of a lover, dancing their way through a late night downtown.

Glynda found herself tapping a foot, but she quickly put a stop to it. They were talented, and they were quite aware of that fact. They had a lot to learn, and keeping them from staying in their comfort zone would be the most important part. For now, they would think themselves worse than they are- and it would make them more receptive.

The songs end came quickly, and three of the girls looked pleased enough, but Yang seemed to disagree. She let out a groan, her shoulders slumping.

"You improved, Ms. Xiao-Long. What, exactly, is the problem?"

" _This aint us_. I get that's the point, but shouldn't we get to know each other with music we actually play?"

"Hm. You seem confident in that assessment."

"Well, yeah. I can feel it, y'know?"

Glynda quirked an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you'll have to explain."

The drummer scratched her head. "Don't really know what to tell you. But, if I can feel it, Rubes can. She's a prodigy."

Eyes shifted to the red sister, and she shrunk in on herself a bit. "Yaaaang! I'm not a prodigy, just...learn fast."

"Please. Learned three instruments, all by fifteen. The only grace I got is that you're shit at the violin."

"I'm still figuring it out!"

"Girls." Glynda interrupted. "Focus."

They had the decency to look sheepish, at least.

Ruby cleared her throat. "Right, well...Yang and I are really good at hearing peoples styles."

Yang nodded her head in agreement. "Mom always said it was a superpower, but I just think she didn't want to admit to having no idea."

Glynda felt the headache return, a stronger throbbing than before. She had met plenty of musicians with oddities, but every one was more tiring than the last. Taking her glasses off, she rubbed gently circles into her temples for a moment.

"Exactly what are you feeling now?"

"Rubes, this is all you."

"Well..." The youngest said, tapping a finger on her chin. "...I was taught in classic rock, 'cause my uncle Qrow is an old man, but when Yang and I started playing together she got me playing punk instead. Weiss is...opera? But she's better suited to something else, 'cause she can't keep her highs consistent."

Weiss' eye twitched. "You are...not wrong, shockingly."

Ruby hmm'd. "Blake is tough. White Fang was, what, nu metal? I, uh...don't really know anything about metal, You...don't really seem like someone who would play it, though."

The bassist gave her a shrug. "I can't say I am, but it was a different time. One of the reasons I left."

"How do you feel about punk rock?"

"I can work with that."

The shorter girl smiled, and reached down to her guitar case. From a small pocket inside it, she pulled out two folded up pieces of paper, then handed the first to Weiss.

"This is the song Yang and I played for our interview." She explained, handing the second paper to Blake.

"You knew we would be playing together?" Asked the raven haired girl.

"No? Not 'til today."

"Then why are you carrying the bass sheet? You didn't bring one."

"Ah, well..." Ruby's eyes hit the floor, and she rubbed her arm a bit. "This song is the best one I've written, and it has a lot of...personal meaning, I guess. Always have copies in my case."

Blake tilted her head, but didn't pry further. Turning to cross the room again, Ruby met eyes with Glynda and froze in place.

"N-not that we would play something else without your permission, of course. Eheheh..."

"If I was going to stop you, Ms. Rose, I would have already done so."

As Ruby got back in position, Weiss' eyes poured over the lyrics she'd been handed. Though written messily, they seemed very well thought out. Tone and note lengths were detailed throughout, and notes on the side of the page had some of Ruby's ideas for changes. It was decent work, far better than she expected from someone who seemed so... _inappropriate_ for Beacon.

Perhaps she was looking at it the wrong way. If she was as skilled as her sister said, she would be an excellent asset. Speaking of her sister, on the other hand...the blonde didn't seem to bring much but tattoos and mediocre drumming ability. Well she was far from absent of mistakes, they needed the drummer to keep them together, and she didn't.

She blinked a few times, trying to clear her musings. Now was time for focus, no matter what she thought of her supposed peers. Attention back on the lyrics, she found herself looking into the meaning. They were about a missing parent, though the first verse didn't clarify whether that meant absent or dead. Either way, she could relate- her mother may as well be dead for all she cared. It wasn't a mystery for long, however, as the chorus made it quite clear.

 _Said you'd be back, messed up my hair, pat my head_

 _But you'll never do it again, 'cause now you're dead_

 _(now you're dead)_

The flow was a bit odd, granted, but that wasn't uncommon for the genre. Weiss actually found herself a bit excited to sing it, if only because she was being trusted with a song so important to the writer. It wasn't an opportunity she got often, at least not from the writer themselves. She'd have to make the most of it, to make the most of this. If her chance to become who she wanted to be came with a challenge, so be it. She would make them the best band worldwide if that's what it takes.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, pulling her from thought. "Are you ready?"

The _ex_ -heiress cleared her throat once. "Of course I am."


	3. Chapter 1

A dragon lounged on their faux-leather coach, eating potato chips and playing video games.

Or, more accurately, Yang had decided to take a lazy day. Though one could argue that going to the gym and doing nothing else meant that every day was a lazy day, she...probably wouldn't dispute it, to be honest. Of course, when you were a hella sweet rock star, you got away with such things. At least, that's what she'd claim.

The floorboards creaked as Ruby stumbled out of her room, somehow still waking up at one in the afternoon.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty, Blake keep you up all night?" She didn't have to look to know her sister was blushing.

"We just went to a concert! One you knew we were going to!"

"Really? I feel like I would remember that."

"You an' Weiss were having one of your 'drink and complain about everybody who isn't us' sessions."

Ah, that would explain a few things, her headache among them.

"...Hey Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"What day is it?"

"Saturday?"

Her sister fell oddly silent, and Yang pushed up to peer at her over the couch. Ruby had frozen, staring at the wall mounted clock.

"Uh, Rubes?"

"I'm gonna be late!"

"What?"

"I'm gonna be _super_ late!"

Ruby dashed back into her room, grabbing the first somewhat fitting clean clothes she could find and a towel. Running out again she immediately tripped, hitting the hardwood face first.

"Nice one, sis. What are you even freaking out about?"

"I have an appointment! With _Big Mom_!"

"Oh man, you do not want to make her wait. Here," Yang said, grabbing her keys off the table. "Take Bumblebee. Crash her and I destroy you."

"Thanks, love you!"

And the bathroom door slammed shut.

Lilac eyes glanced up at the clock, and Yang had a thought. "...Isn't that thing, like, an hour ahead?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sprinting down flights of stairs to avoid the slightly slow elevator was an unfortunately common occurrence. Crashing into people, however, happened surprising rarely. And with how Ruby's day started, she should have seen colliding with Blake at high speed as an inevitability.

But, alas, she did not.

"...Good morning." Blake offered, dryly.

"Oh god, Blake- I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. We should probably stand up now, though."

Ruby made what amounted to a squeak, hopping onto her feet and giving Blake a hand up.

"Breakfast?" The faunas offered, holding up a brown bag.

"Shit, that smells great- I can't! I have to go!"

"I know, that's why I got it. Figured you'd want company, and we can eat there."

The smaller girl just started at her for a moment. "Blake."

"Yes?"

"You're my favourite."

The faunas laughed, soft and husky and in that way that drove her crazy.

"I'd better be. But, we should probably go."

"...Shit. Again."

The run to parking wasn't long, but it was a pain none the less. Especially for Blake, who was never the track star Ruby had been.

"Since when did she let other people take her bike?"

"Just me, and only 'cause she can't resist my sisterly charms."

Ruby handed over the only helmet she had brought.

"Shouldn't you be wearing this? Y'know, to make sure nothing gets in your eyes, blinds you, and kills us both?"

"Ehh, maybe. But I know your ears are sensitive, so..."

Blake smiled. "Thanks. You've driven it before, then?"

"A couple times, yeah."

"So on a scale of Weiss to Yang, how recklessly do you drive?"

A grin.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They arrived more or less in one piece. Leaning on less, seeing as Blake was pretty sure she nearly lost a limb or two during an especially sharp turn. Alive, they arrived alive. Slipping off the helmet, she wiggled her ears a few times to ease the soreness that came with restriction. Still, better than being deafened by the high speed.

"Ugh, I didn't even remember my phone...There's no way we're on time."

"We can't be that late, can we?"

"It's not a question of how late we are, it's a question of whether or not she'll tan my hide."

"Are we meeting an artist or a torturer?"

"...Arguably both?"

"Right. How far is it?"

"We're here. We've been here the whole time."

Confused, Blake glanced up at the building they had stopped in front of. It had little to no markings, except for a large black feather over the door.

"Black Feather tattoos, best shop in town. Slightly important note, my artist is also my mother."

That was...surprising. Blake had seen a few images of Summer Rose, and the woman didn't exactly scream possibly violent tattoo artist. Neither did her daughter's praises, in fact. Her own fault for assuming, she supposed.

"Introducing me to the parents so soon?"

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm pregnant and it's yours."

Blake snorted and thumped Ruby on the shoulder. The shorter girl just laughed as she walked into the parlor.

The interior was a strange balance between messy and clean. Small piles of magazines and plastic containers that had been tossed to the side filled every corner, and there was an almost grungy feeling to the place. Thankfully, there were also areas clearly being kept very purposefully clean. And sterile, most likely.

A tall woman leaned against the front desk, and when they stepped in her eyes casually drifted over them. Unusually red eyes, that seemed strangely familiar. In fact, all of her seemed familiar. Long, dark hair that she could only describe as untamed. Clearly fit, though not matching their darling meathead. Tattoos running down her arms, peeking out from under black sleeves.

She looked like Yang.

An older, less built Yang, but the resemblance was impossible to deny.

"Hey, shortcake, good one of you two can be on time."

"...I'm not late?"

"Nope. Gonna introduce the kitty?"

"Her _name_ is Blake, she's our bassist."

...Huh. She was definitely not used to being defended.

The woman raised her hands in surrender. "Didn't mean anything by it, nicknames are a bad habit of mine."

"You _and_ Qrow."

"Yes, me _and_ Qrow."

Ruby turned to Blake, and looked surprisingly nervous for how firm she had just been.

"So! This is Raven, my mom. Err, other mom? Mom number two."

"We're looking at two, maybe three sessions, and I'd better be number one afterwards."

"I dunno, mum's pretty awesome..."

"Yeah, she is."

They fell silent, leaving only a distant buzzing and the songs quietly playing on an unseen radio. Raven stood up, clapped her hands together once, and led them furhter into the shop, They stopped in a corner room blocked off by a large curtain, and Ruby hopped into the chair. The guitarist's natural excitability was showing.

"I know it's under the shoulder, but your sleeve is still too long. You'll either need to hike it up or ditch the shirt."

Ruby's eyes widened, and she flashed a look at Blake. Heat started to crawl over her face, and she had no doubt Raven noticed.

"I-I'll just keep it up, that's fine."

Her mother shrugged. "Alright, but if your armpit gets sore it's your own fault."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Her armpit was sore, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

Ruby and Blake sat just outside the parlor, eating sandwiches that were a few hours past their prime. Her arm was sore as all hell, but they had gotten the line work done in one session. The sound between them was a comfortable silence, as it often became when she and Blake were alone.

"...I didn't realize you had two mothers."

Blake wasn't normally the one to break said silence, but she could work with it.

"Yep. Didn't always, though."

"Oh?"

"It's kinda complicated." Ruby's brow furrowed. "And dumb. My dad, Taiyang, was with Raven back when they were in college. After Yang was born, she split. Wasn't ready to raise a kid, I guess. Two years later, he's with Summer and I show up."

The guitarist stopped for a moment, letting out a short sigh.

"When I was pretty young, dad got in a car accident. Didn't make it. Things were rough the year after that, mum taking care of us on her own. I mean, uncle Qrow helped a lot, but he could only do so much."

"You've mentioned him a few times before."

Ruby nodded. "He taught me guitar, and his sister is Raven. Who, after years of nothing, shows up at our door. Says when she left she knew Tai had Summer and Qrow and he'd be fine, but she couldn't leave Summer to raise two kids."

"That must have been weird for Yang."

"Oh, totally. She was bitter for a long time. I think it hurt Raven pretty bad, but she never mentioned it. Not like she didn't deserve it, I guess. Life was better with her around, though. Our moms got married just a few years ago, and things have been pretty good since."

"Is Yang still bitter?"

"Not really. At first, I think she hated how similar they are. Then, she started to see how much mum needed her, and gave her a chance. They get along great, now."

The faunas hmm'd.

"Think you'll ever get married, Blake?"

"I don't know. Never really thought about it."

Ruby nodded. "Fair enough. I think I want to. Maybe adopt a kid or two."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Adoption rates have been going up, but lots of faunas kids get dismissed completely. All I need first is to get the cash for a house and someone who's into short guitarists."

Blake glanced at her, smiling. "I'm sure you will."

.

.

 **o**

 **oo**

 **ooo**

* * *

 **A combination of hectic life and poor planning leaves me updating after ~two months. Dang.**

 **Sorry to everyone who was stuck waiting for this, I realize I am trash.**

 **Trying to write this chapter was a nightmare, as I just didn't like where the first two left me. So, I abandoned that version of the story in order to give myself something I could actually work with. Now, those original chapters are the prologue to what's sort of a slice of life/adult comedy.  
**

 **Fair warning that this fic will contain some smut in future. Chapters will be tagged at the start!**

 **'Til next time.**


	4. Chapter 2

"Everybody has something."

"Like how you drink too much?"

"Yep! So what's yours, kitty cat?"

Blake stared blankly at the lounging blonde, looking about as invested in the conversation as the nearby lamp did. Sighing, she shut her book and set it to the side.

"Assuming I do have something, what makes you think I'll tell you about it?"

Yang hummed. "I dunno, guess I figured I'd earned enough friend points by now. You're the first person I told about my thing, y'know? 'Side from Rubes."

"I'm pretty sure everyone in this building has seen how wasted you get, Yang."

"But there's an important difference between being exposed to someone's vices and being trusted with them."

Blake blinked. "That is...a surprisingly decent point."

"Thanks, I thought of it in the shower."

The faunas sighed. "Of course you did." She drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "You really want to know?"

"Definitely."

"Fine," Blake muttered. Reaching down, she slowly pulled up her pant leg, revealing a criss cross of old and new scars. "I haven't done it months, but...cutting. That's my vice."

Yang whistled. "Those look painful as fuck, Blake."

A laugh. "That's sort of the point."

"Is it?"

"Well...not really. It reminds me that I'm in control of myself."

"I get that, I think. I mean it's _dark_ , but I get it."

"Most people aren't so understanding."

Yang grinned. "Girl, you should see what my sister gets up to."

Blake quirked an eyebrow. "I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Mostly."

" _Mostly_?"

"Ah, I'm just messin' with ya. Rubes doesn't really have vices, just broods like a mother fucker."

"I think I could picture that. With how some of her songs sound, I'm surprised she wasn't a bigger fan of the Fang."

The blonde laughed a bit. "Yeah, well, I have my theories on that."

"Oh?"

Yang tapped her finger on her chin, as if deep in thought. "A young girl with minimal dating experience, suddenly and nigh religiously following a band purely for one of its members..."

Blake just stared at her.

"...Shes like, totally gay for you."

"Oh. That's...unfortunate."

"Don't want the Rubooty?"

The cat glared, and Yang raised her hands in submission. After a moment, Blake sighed. "I don't date, Yang. Can't."

"And why's that?"

"The first girl I liked called me a traitor to my people, because I wasn't willing to support extremism. My first boyfriend was a psycho, who would get violent because I refused to sleep with him. He's why I left the Fang. Both times, it felt like losing the only person who understood me."

"Shit, Blake, I don't know what to say."

She shrugged. "Didn't really expect you to. I haven't felt ready to try a relationship since, and Ruby's not a friend I'd like to lose."

Yang nodded. "I get that. I still think it'd work, but...I'll drop it."

"Thank you."

"No worries, I've got an idea of what it's like. I mean, doesn't stop me from trying to get in pants, just more careful about who's."

"You mean Weiss'."

" _Dude_."

"You are many things, least of all subtle."

"I'm not _that_ obvious!"

Blake stared at her.

Yang sighed and ran a hand through her hair, the dragon painted on her skin curling and flexing as she did."Okay, maybe I'm a bit obvious..."

"A bit?"

"So a lot obvious, whatever. It's not like anything's going to happen, so it's just flirting. Y'know, some sexual tension here and there."

"You don't want anything to happen?"

"I dunno, maybe? But it wont, so, doesn't really matter."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. And why are you so convinced of that?"

"She's _Weiss_."

"And?"

"And she's way out of my league!"

Blake said nothing. Then, she started laughing. Laughing in a way that honestly hurt, leaving her clutching at her stomach while Yang stared on blankly.

"Yang... _Yang_ , I'm trying to be serious." She got out, wiping at her eyes.

"Wha- so am I!"

" _Out of your league_?"

"She is! She's gorgeous, and rich, and her _voice_ \- as if she would ever want me."

"...Are you in love with her?"

Yang flushed a red Blake had never seen before. "No! No, that's ridiculous, I can't believe...that...that wouldn't even..."

A dark eyebrow raised.

"Ugh, I'm such an idiot. This happens every time."

"You get called out by someone clearly more sensible than you?"

The dragon glared at the smug cat.

"I _mean_ , with the girls I dated before. It would always just be for fun at first, then I'd want it to actually mean something, and they'd leave. Can't believe I'm doing it again..."

"Do you really think Weiss would ever be like them?"

"Do you think Ruby would be?"

Blake's brow furrowed, and Yang winced. A few moments of awkward silence passed before she spoke up again.

"...Sorry. That wasn't fair."

A sigh. "It's okay, Yang. It would be hypocritical of me when I've expressed the same feelings."

"...I just...don't know what I'd do if it went wrong. We're all relying on the band right now, and if I ruined it because I couldn't keep a crush in check? I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"Yeah, I...I get it."

Quiet, then Yang loudly groaned while stomping a foot. "This is getting way too fuckin' depressing. You up for a drink?"

Blake scoffed. "At one of the bars you go to?"

"Or wherever, just need to get outta here."

"You realize you're the one who started this conversation, right?"

"Still. My gym was closed today, if I don't do something I'll go crazy."

"Are you going to try to pick someone up after all of this?"

...

"Yang."

...

"Oh my god."

"Well I don't want to lie about it!"

Blake shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Whatever you say."

Yang laughed, but it was short. "I uh...I know I said I'd drop it, and I will, but y'know...if anyone was going to date my lil' sis..."

"...Thank you. And Weiss is definitely in your league, miss two-hours-at-the-gym-seven-days-a-week."

"It's only six days a week!"

...

...

...

"Why you gotta call me out like this, Blake?"


End file.
